Research Catalog

Friedelind Wagner : Richard Wagner's rebellious granddaughter / Eva Rieger ; translated by Chris Waltoni

Title
Friedelind Wagner : Richard Wagner's rebellious granddaughter / Eva Rieger ; translated by Chris Waltoni
Author
Rieger, Eva
Publication
London, England ; New York : The Boydell Press, 2013.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Filter by

1 Item

StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextRequest in advance ML429.W246 R513 2013Off-site

Details

Additional Authors
  • Walton, Chris.
  • Walton, Chris, 1963-
Description
352 pages : illustrations, portraits; 24 cm
Summary
"She was not the 'black sheep' of her family, as often claimed, but a heroic rebel. Friedelind Wagner (1918-1991), Richard Wagner's independent-minded granddaughter, daughter of Siegfried and Winifred Wagner, despised her mother's close liaison with Adolf Hitler and was the only member of the Wagner clan who fled Germany in protest. Although Winifred warned her that the Nazis would 'exterminate' her, should she continue her open opposition, she travelled to London and published articles pillorying the Nazi élite. All the same, her former proximity to Hitler & Co. made her suspicious in the eyes of the authorities, who promptly interned her. Even the British Parliament debated her fate. Only with the help of the world-famous conductor Arturo Toscanini was she able to gain an exit visa. Once she arrived in New York she broadcast, lectured and published against the Nazis, wrote an autobiography, and became friends with many other emigrants including singers who had themselves abandoned Bayreuth. After the war the Mayor of Bayreuth asked her to run the Festival, but she declined in favour of her brothers. They showed little gratitude, however, for after Friedelind returned to Germany in 1953 she found herself manoeuvred out of any role in the Festival management. She still made a remarkable effort to find a niche in post-war German society and culture, and did her best to cope with a family notorious for its intrigues past and present..Drawing on archival research in many countries, Eva Rieger has here written the first-ever biography of Richard Wagner's talented, artistic granddaughter who fought against Hitler's Germany, but achieved no personal success for her troubles. Her book gives many new insights into wartime and postwar musical life in Germany, Europe and the United States."--Publisher description.
Uniform Title
Friedelind Wagner : die rebellische Enkelin Richard Wagners. English
Alternative Title
Friedelind Wagner : die rebellische Enkelin Richard Wagners.
Subject
  • Wagner, Friedelind, 1918-1991
  • Wagner family
  • Wagner, Richard, 1813-1883 > Family
  • Women opera producers and directors > Germany > Biography
  • Opera producers and directors > Germany > Biography
  • Women journalists > Germany > Biography
  • Journalists > Germany > Biography
Genre/Form
Biographies
Note
  • Originally published in German as : Friedelind Wagner, die rebellische Enkelin Richard Wagners ; München, Germany : Piper Verlag, c2012
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages [317]-341) and index.
Processing Action (note)
  • committed to retain
Contents
Machine generated contents note: 1.A `giant Easter egg'. Mausi's home and family -- 2.The noisy child -- 1924 to 1931 -- 3.`She should learn to cope with drudgery'. At boarding school -- 1931 to 1935 -- 4.`Impudent, endearing and witty'. Friedelind and her aunts -- 1936 to 1937 -- 5.`Is it German, what Hitler has done for you?' -- 1938 to 1939 -- 6.`It's precisely because I'm German that I'm not living in Germany'. The farewell -- 1940 -- 7.In England, behind barbed wire -- 1940 to 1941 -- 8.`My heart is overflowing'. From Buenos Aires to New York -- 1941 to 1943 -- 9.`Only you could still save our inheritance!' -- 1943 to 1945 -- 10.After the War is over -- 1946 to 1950 -- 11.Friedelind returns -- 1950 to 1955 -- 12.The master classes begin -- 1956 to 1960 -- 13.Heyday of the master classes and their end -- 1960 to 1966 -- 14.Sibling conflict -- 1967 to 1970 -- 15.Schemes and setbacks -- The 1970s -- 16.`A foster mother, a guiding light' -- The 1980s.
ISBN
  • 1843838648 (hardback)
  • 9781843838647 (hardback)
OCLC
  • 839389433
  • SCSB-10866106
Owning Institutions
Harvard Library